A linking verb is a verb that connects the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that describes or renames it, rather than showing action. The most common linking verb is “to be” in its various forms: is, am, are, was, were, been, and being.

In the sentence “The cake is delicious,” the verb is doesn't show the cake doing anything. Instead, it links the subject (cake) to a word that describes it (delicious). Compare this to “The baker decorated the cake,” where decorated shows action. Other common linking verbs include seem, become, appear, feel, smell, taste, sound, look, remain, and grow when they describe a state rather than an action.

Here's a useful test: if you can replace the verb with a form of “to be” and the sentence still makes sense, it's probably a linking verb. “The soup tastes salty” works as “The soup is salty,” so tastes is linking here. But in “She tastes the soup,” you can't say “She is the soup,” so tastes is an action verb instead.

Understanding linking verbs helps you write clearer sentences and choose stronger, more vivid verbs when you want to show action instead of just describing something.